Her Tears
by M30w3rz
Summary: Ahsoka has left the Jedi Order, depressed and confused. Her Master struggles to figure out her and his own feelings, a Dathomirian bounty hunter becomes her friend, and a certain former Separatist Senator attempts to track her down as soon as the news reaches him, who she has mixed feelings about... Might be some Luxsoka
1. Chapter 1: The Struggle

**My name is M30w3rz. I'm not a new fanfiction member but this is my first story. Enjoy! Critique is encouraged.**

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka Tano turned and walked away from her former Master down the temple steps. A tear escaped her eye, and she let it fall. The urge to simply run overcame her as soon as she was out of Anakin's view. Her steps quickened, and soon she was speeding through the streets of Coruscant, flying past citizens in search of a place to hide and collect her thoughts. She skidded to a halt in front of a trashy hotel, which was quite common in a place like Coruscant. She paused for a moment, then started running again. She needed a place no one would overhear her sobs…

She finally found a place that suited her; a dark alley absent of living creatures, excluding some trash-eating vermin. She collapsed into a small pile of garbage, chest heaving, and began to cry. Her breathing came in great gasps as she wailed for what felt like several minutes. Finally, she pushed herself up, leaning against the wall with cramped, weak legs. She took several deep breaths, hiccuping, and thought to herself. _What do I do now? _She had nothing but the clothing she wore at that minute and a psychologically unstable mind. Her throat was raw from crying and her stomach let out a low growl. She needed something to eat and drink to keep going. _But what's the point of living? _She shook her head and stood up straight. _I can't think like that. I need to get going. _She could already sense that her former Master was worried about her. She hoped he actually understood why she had to leave…

**Anakin's POV**

Anakin stood exactly where he was as he watched Ahsoka leave. He couldn't move. He fought a raging battle in his mind. He knew she didn't need or want him anymore; Why else would she leave, saying she wanted to "sort this out on my own" "without you"? Still, he wanted to run after her. She was his Padawan, he couldn't leave her to face the cruelty of Coruscant alone. But she didn't want his help, his care, his trust...

"Anakin?" a familiar voice asked. Obi-wan placed a hand on his former apprentice. "Are you alright?" "She left me," he responded, his voice choked with grief. "She left me and she's not coming back." He barely payed attention to Obi-wan's words as he gazed into the sunset that she had disappeared into. He didn't even notice as he collapsed onto his knees, clutching Ahsoka's braid in his hand so tightly he was afraid it would break.

"Anakin..."

Obi-wan, for once, was groping for words as Anakin waited for a lecture on how he needs to let go. "She was precious to me, too. I watched as she matured and, though I did not show it much, cared for her greatly." Anakin stared down at the braid in his hand, relaxing his grip and holding it as if it were delicate as glass.

"She is a great loss to the Jedi Order..." Obi-wan knew as soon as he felt Anakin's red-hot rage that he said the wrong thing.

"I don't care about the Order," he growled menacingly. His voice turned soft and grief-filled again. "She left me. I..."Obi-wan was once more at a loss for words as Anakin struggled to collect his thoughts.

"I have to help her." He carefully placed Ahsoka's braid into his pocket and watched as Obi-wan dug through his only pocket and came up with some credits. "Here, you can give her these," he said as he dropped the shiny bars into Anakin's hand. They glinted in the orange light of the sunset. Obi-wan murmured a farewell and plodded back to the Jedi temple to rest, leaving Anakin depressed and angry, kneeling at the temple steps.

**Short, I know, very short, but I want some feedback and tips to see if I should continue the story!**


	2. Chapter 2: Worry

**Thanks for all the positive reviews on my story! Here's the next chapter!**

**Lux's POV**

The Onderon senator had been sitting in his office sorting through papers, unaware of Ahsoka Tano's trial and her desertion, until an angry Anakin Skywalker burst in. "Where is she?" he panted, having run all the way there. "Master Skywalker," Lux questioned, getting over his shock, "who are yo-?"

"Ahsoka Tano. Did she come visit you, Bonteri?"

Lux's face paled. He quickly got out of his comfy chair, knocking it over in the process.

"No, why? What's happened to her?"

Anakin growled in impatience. "Do you at least know she was accused of murder?"

"Of course, but-"

"I don't have time for this, Bonteri." Anakin's hands curled into fists. "Do you know where she is?"

"No, Master Jedi," Lux responded hurriedly, "I haven't had contact with her since Onderon, but what…?"

He found himself talking to the wall as Anakin had rushed out of the room, determined to find his former Padawan. _What's going on? _Lux barely hesitated before following Anakin out of his office, determined to find out what happened to the Togruta he cared so deeply about…

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka wiped the tears from her eyes as she exited the dark alley. She had to be strong. The dull gray roads of Coruscant seemed to reflect her mood as she roamed around, her eyes scanning the ground for forgotten credit bars that have been dropped by passerby. She was ashamed of this, but she needed to survive, and to do that she needed credits. She was so immersed in this task that she was unaware of the person following her, dressed in a dark cloak.

Ahsoka finally laid eyes on a single silver credit bar. It wasn't much, but it could buy her a cheap meal, and at least it was something to put in her stomach. Before she could revel in her luck, the cold round tip of a blaster pressed against her back. Concealed by the cloak, it was unnoticed by the passing citizens. "Keep walking," a low male voice ordered. "Find a hotel called the Elite and go into the elevator. If you try anything, I'll blast you right through the heart." Ahsoka obeyed, gritting her teeth. She could take this guy down. With the Force on her side… _But if I'm not a Jedi anymore, will it still be on my side? _She started to panic. _Can I still even use the Force? _

To test, she attempted to gently nudge a Jogan fruit located on a nearby stand. The fruit obliged. She smiled a little bit. She could still use the Force.

The blaster jabbed harder into her backbone. She yelped in pain, causing citizens to look over in worry. She gave a strained smile to reassure them. Ahsoka had almost passed the Elite. She walked through the doors, dreading what would happen next.

It was a nicer hotel than she had expected. Luxurious sofas decorated the lounge, illuminated with bright orb-like lights attached to the walls. If she had enough credits, she would've stayed in this hotel herself. "Elevator," the man murmured. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes and entered the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, the man took off his hood to reveal a rather good-looking middle-aged man with brown eyes and hair. His smile had a creeper look to it as his eyes roamed over her body, pausing in certain spots. He whistled. "You sure are a hot Jedi."

A shiver ran down Ahsoka's spine. "What do you want from me?" She crossed her arms and turned to face the man. "At first, I wanted to sell you to the Separtists, but I'll probably make more selling you on the slave market..." As he said this, he slapped a pair of Force-binder cuffs onto her wrists. "Ah-!" she yelled. Her training kicked in, and she kicked the man in the stomach. She was shocked to find a hard surface shielding his abdomen. The man had armor on. He pointed his blaster at her, inches away from her forehead. "I know who you are," he snarled, "so don't think I'll be stupid enough to take those cuffs off of you. Be a good little slave and come with me." The elevator door slid open, and the man dragged Ahsoka down the dark, empty hallway.

**Lux's POV**

"Wait up!" Lux gasped as he raced after Anakin. "What do you want, Bonteri?" Anakin skidded to a halt a few meters away from the exit to the Senate, and was now glaring at the Senator. "I-I want to help you find your Padawan," Lux stuttered awkwardly. Anakin raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "What's your involvement, Bonteri?"

"I, well..."

Lux was saved from the trouble of coming up with a reason by the consistent beep of Anakin's comlink. The Jedi Knight groaned and reluctantly accepted the call. "Skywalker here."

"Anakin, the Council's called us to a meeting to discuss a mission," Obi-wan's voice said, a tinge of impatience to it.

"I need to give the credits to Ahsoka first," Anakin responded slowly, trying not to break down when he spoke her name.

Obi-wan sighed. "Anakin, just have someone else give them to her, the matter is urgent."

Anakin turned his back on Lux, and continued conversing with Obi-wan. "But Master, I need to see her..." Obi-wan paused for a moment, then spoke once more, "Anakin, unfortunately that's not a luxury you have right now. This is war, and we need to focus on it in order to win, and then you can spend as much time as you like with Ahsoka.

Anakin's hate for being treated like a child showed on his face, but he kept his voice calm and steady. "Yes Master. I'm on my way." He ended the call and turned to Lux. "I know you care about her," the Jedi Knight stated, his voice flat, "so you'll give her these and tell her… tell her I care." Lux held his hand out, hoping the Jedi wouldn't break his arm, and Anakin dropped 100 credits worth of ingots into his outstretched hand. Without another word, he raced out of the Senate building, leaving Lux with a handful of credit ingots and a fiery determination to deliver the credits to his loved one.

**Okay, to be honest, I didn't work hard on this one, but I don't have much time to improve it right now, so it'll have to do. Criticism requested!**


	3. Chapter 3: Searching

**Hello!**

***awkward silence***

**Well, uh, here's the third chapter! Sorry for the extremely late update, I should start updating faster now that summer is finally here. Things start getting real here!**

**Ahsoka's POV**

"Let me go!" Ahsoka ordered, flailing around in a desperate attempt to break free from the man's steel grip. The two had arrived at the man's room, and Ahsoka was not happy about this. In fact, she was getting worried. If these kriffing cuffs weren't Force-resistant, she'd have been out of there in seconds, but for now she was trapped. She remembered her Master's—former Master's—dire warnings that she couldn't become overly reliable on the Force. Oh, well. That wouldn't help her now.

Suddenly the man threw her onto the bed. Her montrals slammed into the wall. Red light flared through her vision as her head exploded with pain. Her montrals and lekku were very sensitive to solid things, for instance, walls. "Agh..." Ahsoka groaned, running her hand over her montrals. The man—who she now assumed to be a bounty hunter—paid no attention to her pain as he pulled a large bag out from under the bed. He rummaged through it as Ahsoka recovered her sense. She leaped backward away from him, her montrals throbbing painfully as well as her back lekku. She ignored this and prepared to leap at the bounty hunter.

The man, being an expert at combat, knew this was coming, and rolled out of the way as Ahsoka hit the wall again, the pain running up her arms now. Before she could regain her balance, he grabbed her neck and shoved her against the wall. She struggled and fought, yelping in dismay as a shock collar clicked around her neck. The bounty hunter dropped her on the floor and pulled a round cylinder-shaped remote off his belt with a red button on top. Ahsoka instantly recognized it as a controller for the shock collar. "No!" she screamed as his thumb pressed down on it. Electricity danced across her body as she cried out in pain. He released the button, leaving her panting on the ground, her sight filled with black dots.

The bounty hunter's hand curled around her throat as he lifted her off the ground. She weakly pounded her fists into his chest, choking and gasping for air, until his fist came flying at her head, and the world turned black.

**Anakin's POV**

Anakin stood in the middle of the Council, being addressed by Master Yoda. "To the space station surrounding Ringo Vinda, you must go. Capture the station you mu-"

Yoda paused as Anakin clutched his head, pain flaring through his head that was not his own. "Ahsoka," he murmured. "She's hurt." Yoda gazed at him with calm eyes. "Skywalker, the Ringo Vinda mission, urgent it is. Time to help your Padawan, you do not." Shocked, Anakin stared at the old Jedi Master. "I can't just leave her. What if she's in trouble?" "Hmm. Compassionate, we are, yes, but part of the Order, Padawan Tano is not. Help her, we cannot. Learn to survive on her own, she must."

Anakin gritted his teeth, fighting himself once more. "Skywalker, spare you, we cannot. Needed on Ringo Vinda you are. Find someone trustworthy outside the Order, you may, in order to help your former Padawan," Yoda relented. Anakin nodded mutely. "Dismissed, you are." Anakin knew who to go to. He ran out of the Council room, bestowing silence among the group of Jedi.

**Lux's POV**

"Have you seen this Togruta?" Lux asked a random passerby, showing him a hologram of Ahsoka. The man tilted his head, thinking. "She seems familiar. Isn't she wanted?" "No," Lux said quickly. "Not anymore, but I need to find her." "Yes, well, sorry, can't help you." The man walked away.

Lux tried again. "Have you seen this Togruta?" He repeated to a woman. She turned around. Lux recognized her face. "Oh, Senator Amidala. My apologies. I've been attempting to locate former Padawan Tano. Have you seen her?" "There's no need to apologize, Senator Bonteri," Padme responded, "and no, I haven't seen her since the trial." "Alright, good day Senator," Lux responded flatly, and strode away into a nearby building. He was never going to find her. He sat in one of the red plush lounge chairs, held his face in his hands, and cried quietly.


	4. Chapter 4: So Close

**Hewo! I'm happy that my story has received positive support! Thank you guys! :D**

**Lux's Sister: No, this guy is just a bounty hunter who likes to get as much money/credits as possible, be it illegal or not. He sometimes resorts to kidnapping people, though semi-rarely captures valuables like Ahsoka.**

**Enjoy!**

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka woke with a groan, her head pounding with pain. She ran her hand down her back lekku, wincing when she found a tender spot. She muttered a curse in Mando'a as she re-discovered the collar around her neck. Her handcuffs were gone, but the collar had the same Force-restricting aura, only stronger.

"About time you woke up," grumbled the bounty hunter. He grabbed Ahsoka's arms and hauled her to her feet. She almost fell over, but was caught by the bounty hunter. "Don't need you injured more than you already are, missy," he growled impatiently. Ahsoka couldn't muster enough energy to respond. She was strangely lightheaded and weak. It was as if something was sapping her strength right out.

"I gave you a stim that has opposite effects from the norm," the bounty hunter explained. "You'll be weak for a while." He grabbed a cloak from his pack and shoved it towards Ahsoka. "Put this on. We're moving out."

Once Ahsoka had—with difficulty—put on the hooded cloak, the bounty hunter gathered all his belongings and headed out, almost dragging Ahsoka with him. He somehow managed to look natural with a hooded figure following him. They walked into the elevator. The bounty hunter punched the button for the lobby, and the elevator went down.

**Lux's POV**

Lux heard the elevator door slide open and two figures walked out, one of them hooded in a dark cloak. He looked up, trying to figure out what looked so familiar about the hooded person. He couldn't see their face, but he thought he had seen the shape of two slightly pointed horns inside a hood before…

He looked down and instantly recognized the two semi-stubby blue and white striped front lekku. It was Ahsoka!

But why wasn't she looking at him? Did she not recognize him? Did she not see him? Who was the man with her?

"You got a problem, sir?" The man turned to face Lux, a hardened steel look in his eyes. "N-No," Lux responded, his brain working overtime, trying to figure out what to say. His grip tightened on the armrests of the chair.

"I just thought I'd seen your lady friend somewhere." If this was Ahsoka, he had to do something, not just sit around and let her go.

"Her?" The man gestured to the hooded figure. "She's just a serving wench, she's not a popular person at all."

"I-I am your serving wench," Ahsoka whispered. Her voice sounded off to Lux, but the man had obviously done something to her, if she thought she was his slave or something. But first, he had to make sure it was Ahsoka.

Lux stood up, reached out and pulled off the hood, before the man could stop him. The face of a Mirialan girl was revealed. She was wearing a headdress that resembled the shape of a Togruta's montrals and lekku, but clearly did not represent them. He had made a mistake. He had been so close...

Embarrassment and frustration turned Lux's face red. "I-I apologize sir, she-" "Oh, not to worry," the man stated simply, "You mistook her as a friend, I presume. Good day." The man made to leave, obviously in a hurry. Lux recognized the round metal ring around the Mirialan's neck as a shock collar. The pieces clicked together.

"I could have you arrested for possession of a slave!" Lux threatened, determined to get something good out of this.

"Don't you dare," the man whispered, his voice losing it's easy tone, now full of danger. "You leave this be or I'll find you and shoot you dead."

Lux saw the clerk at the front desk reach down and press something on the underside of the counter. He assumed it was a call for security and decided to stall the man as much as he could without dying.

"Slavery in the Galactic Republic territory is illegal," Lux glared into the man's cold eyes. He gave a harsh laugh. "No kidding." The man grabbed his slave and whipped out a blaster, and pointed it at the Mirialan's head. The slave's hands shot up and yanked at the man's arm, her eyes pleading and filled with fear. "No, Master! Please!" she begged.

"You let me leave in peace, or the girl dies."

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka followed the bounty hunter out of the hotel. She probably could have escaped if not for the man's grip around her wrist, keeping her close to him. The stim made her weak and lightheaded, so she probably wouldn't have have been able to escape even if he didn't hold her.

As they walked through the crowds of people, no one notices the dull, defeated look in her eyes. They all cared about getting to someplace or other, and paid no attention.

They approached a docking bay, where few ships were located. Ahsoka didn't ask why it wasn't packed like most docking bays, and the man didn't explain.

The man led Ahsoka into a freighter-styled spacecraft. Judging by the amount of expensive spices and weapons she saw, she guessed the bounty hunter also did some smuggling jobs. Good way to make money.

Ahsoka was brought into a dark room with chains attached to the walls. She made no attempt to resist as the bounty hunter clicked some cuffs around her wrists. "I saved some energy by disabling the coolant system in this room," he shrugged. "I apologize in advance for when we go to space." There wasn't any real sympathy in his voice. More like evil humor. Ahsoka gritted her teeth.

"I'm gonna go get my partner. You stay here." He smirked, as if he knew she wouldn't be able to leave anyway. "You'll regret this," Ahsoka hissed. The stim's effects were starting to wear off, as she made a feeble attempt to slip out of the cuffs. "Oh, believe me, I won't." The bounty hunter left the room, laughing, the door sliding shut behind him.

**I know the slave and the guy seem kinda random, but their role isn't as minor as you think. Sorry if things seem to be going too fast. I'm trying to work on making a slower pace in my writing, but it's still fast. :( Criticism requested!**


	5. Chapter 5: You

**Hello! Thank you all for the reassurance about the speed of my writing pace! I'll try to maintain it and improve my writing to make my story better. :)**

**Bounty Hunter's POV**

The bounty hunter exited his freighter, leaving the Jedi behind, smirking as he did so. His smile turned into a frown as he strode out of the docking bay. Where was his partner? He should be here by now. They had to take off before the authorities caught on their trail. He reached down and unclasped a communications device from his belt. He fiddled with the buttons for a few seconds, then raised it to his lips. "Red 1 to Red 2. Where the kriff are you?"

**Lux's POV**

Lux backed away just as the man's communicator went off. The man glanced down at the round piece of beeping metal, and Lux saw this as an opportunity. He dove at the man's weapon, wrestled it from his grip, and pointed it at him. Surprised, the man's eyes widened, his grip still tight around the slave's arm. "Surrender, slaver," Lux ordered, the blaster pointed directly between the man's eyes. The man chuckled. "I can still kill her, you know." The man's hand shot towards the slave's throat, just as Lux pulled the trigger.

For a moment, the man stood still, his face frozen in an expression of shock, a smoking hole in his head. As if in slow motion, he fell backward, making a loud thud as his body hit the ground.

There was dead silence. The clerk behind the desk glanced between the dead man and Lux. The slave's hands were over her mouth, as she backed away from the corpse. "B-By the nine hells..." the clerk whispered, clutching his heart.

The blaster fell from Lux's hands, landing with a soft clunk on the floor. He couldn't believe he just killed a person. A human being. But that human being had been about to kill an innocent girl, so he had no choice.

This was nothing like destroying droids on Onderon. He'd killed a living being with personality. But he'd been threatening Lux, too, so it was okay, right?

He also realized the communicator was still beeping on the man's wrist. Lux slowly approached the dead man, pressed a small button on it, and answered the call. "About time you frakking answered!" A man's impatient voice said. "I got the Jedi, hurry and get the kriff out of there! I'm waiting at the ship."

Excitement ran through Lux's veins. Was the Jedi he was talking about Ahsoka?

Attempting to imitate the dead man's voice, he asked, "What was the Jedi's name again?"

"How thick _are_ you?" the man replied, sighing in annoyance. "It's Ahsoka Tano. Now just hurry and get to the ship!"

"What docking bay?" Lux asked, trying his luck.

"You should know, di'kut, it's…wait a minute..." The man's voice slowed. "You're not Arrik..." He swore a nasty curse and hung up.

Lux himself cursed. He'd been so close, yet once again, failed. By now the man probably was powering up his ship and leaving the planet. If he had just quit after asking the first question, he could have gotten the authorities to trace the call, but now Ahsoka was gone. He was stupid.

Just then, a bunch of police droids flooded in, took one look at the dead man and Lux, and grabbed him. "Hey!" Lux protested, struggling and trying to slip out of the droid's grip. He was forced to his knees."You are under arrest for the murder of an innocent," the droid stated in a flat, metallic voice. He felt handcuffs click around his wrists. "He wasn't innocent!" The slave girl pleaded to one of the police droids. "The brave man you are taking away now freed me from slavery! Please! He killed a bad man, not an innocent one! Let him go!" The police droid considered her for a moment. "We will check the security footage, but for now, this man is to be imprisoned until further notice."

The clerk also stood up to Lux's defense. "This man," he stated, pointing to the corpse on the ground, "had enslaved this girl and threatened to kill her. Without the man you are holding now, we'd probably would've had a slaver slip right under our noses, and the girl would still be a slave!" "Innocent until proven guilty, right?" The Mirailan girl added.

The police droid removed the handcuffs on Lux and decided to leave him be. "We would like the security footage from the past hour to confirm your claims," it ordered, pulling a data pad out and handing it to the clerk. The clerk plugged it into the computer, transferred the required data, and handed it back to the droid. The droid pulled out a needle, and without warning, plunged it into Lux's wrist.

"Hey!" Lux complained, shooting backwards and rubbing at his now throbbing wrist. "This is a tracking chip. We shall be able to find you, if you happen to be guilty," the droid explained. "If not, we will arrive to have it removed. Have a good day," it said, and left with its crew, not before hoisting the dead man on its shoulders and confiscating the blaster.

There was an awkward silence. Lux glanced at the girl, who's expression was of pure uncertainty. "May we have a room?" Lux asked the clerk, much to their surprise. "Uh, yes, it's 20 credits a night," the clerk stammered, pulling up a list of available rooms.

Lux rummaged through his pockets, and discovered the pile of credits he was supposed to give to Ahsoka. A pang stabbed at his heart when he thought of telling General Skywalker about what had happened to his former Padawan. He searched his other pockets, and came up with only 13 credits of his own. But his pride prevented him from using the credits given to him by Skywalker.

The clerk saw he was short. "I can discount it to you, 10 credits a night," he said, and Lux gladly accepted the offer. He payed the necessary credits. "You can have room 427," the clerk decided. Lux thanked the man, and motioned for the Mirailan to follow him into the elevator. She hesitated, then obliged. "You can stay in this hotel, I'll pay for you every month until you find a job," Lux stated once the elevator doors closed. "Thank you. You are very kind," the girl whispered, staring down at her boots. "You did not have to do this." He pushed the '4' button, and the elevator started moving up. "You have nothing left. It's the least I can do."

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka was getting bored just standing there in the dark room, even though she had been there for little time. She had nothing to do except for wait. And then she would wait some more until they reached their destination.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Fast, quick, loud ones. She recognized the hum of the engines as the ship started up. _Well, we're leaving now, _she thought. She felt the ship zoom up higher and higher. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as the ship rose to space. Not enough to make her shiver, but enough to make her feel cold.

She squirmed around against the chill, trying to get comfortable. "Hyperspace: Engaged. Autopilot: Activated," A monotonous robotic female voice said through the intercom.

The door slid open, allowed the bounty hunter in, and shut behind him. "Wow! Cold in here, huh?" He laughed. Ahsoka barely tried to hold back her anger. "Shut up, sleemo," she shot at him. The bounty hunter got out the shock collar controller and pressed down on the button. Arcs of electricity shot across her body, and she couldn't hold back her small cries of pain.

"I got an outfit for you," the bounty hunter smirked. He strode away from Ahsoka, and approached a large rectangular gray box. He lifted the lid and pulled out a violently colored outfit, which stood apart from the dark gray room.

It had a collar, which composed of three golden rings. Two thick purple strips of fabric fell from each shoulder to the waist of the outfit, where a braided gold-colored belt secured them. Below the belt was a simple purple skirt, which had slits cut from the bottom of the skirt to the belt on the hips.

The bounty hunter walked back over to Ahsoka and released her from the cuffs. He shoved the folds of cloth into her arms. "Try this on," he ordered.

For a moment Ahsoka glared at him. "I'm not gonna put this outfit on, let alone change in front of you." She shrunk back as the hunter's hand drifted to the shock collar controller.

"Put the kriffing outfit on, or-" The bounty hunter was suddenly interrupted by the robotic female voice of his ship.

"Hyperdrive: Disengaged. Autopilot: Deactivated. Transferring into normal space."

"What…?" The bounty hunter muttered in surprise. He turned his back on his captive Jedi and fled the room, predictably heading towards the pilot's seat.

The former Padawan felt pathetic. Here she was in a cold, dark cell, having been stupidly captured while she had been weak. She wasn't even thinking of escape. _There's no hope anyway, no one's coming to rescue you. Even if you do manage to escape, who would come pick you up and take you somewhere safe?_

She shook her head. Can't think like that. She knew the door had a motion sensor. She was an idiot. Why not just walk out?

Ahsoka walked to the door and waved her hand in front of it, trying to get it to open. Nothing. Of course, the bounty hunter wouldn't be that stupid. He probably had some kind of facial recognizer that would allow him in and out. She needed a new plan.

The teenager snorted aloud. That had hardly been a plan. More of a half-brained idea.

She raised her hands up, trying to gather the Force to push the door open. She felt little wisps of it come to her aid.

But suddenly, she felt an electric shock. She shrieked in surprise, falling to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. _Di'kut, you forgot, the collar is Force-resistant! _She screamed at herself in her mind.

As the blue flashes of light and black dots faded from her vision, the door slid open. Instead of the bounty hunter, she met an unexpected sight.

Ahsoka instinctively gasped and flew backwards, completely surprised at the appearance of this person, who'd been her enemy, but helped her in the end. Could it be…? She squinted at the face, her eyes widening.

"Ventress!"

**Cliffhanger. Kind of. Ha. Sorry for lack of updates for the past month, I've been lazy. Anyway, you've been rewarded for your patience: a new chapter! With a kind-of cliffhanger! **


	6. Chapter 6: She's Gone

**I feel bad for making you guys wait so long for the fifth chapter, so I've immediately started on the sixth chapter! Enjoy! Critique is encouraged!**

**Note: Lux assumes the bounty hunters are slavers, since Arrik had the Mirailan slave girl with him, he was misinformed. That's why he refers to the bounty hunters as "slavers."**

**Ventress's POV**

"Glad to see you too," Ventress scoffed sarcastically as she strolled into the dark room, the door hissing shut behind her. She could barely make out the frame of the small Togruta in the poorly lit prison, as the door cut off the brief, bright glares of light that had been shining into the room.

Still, however, the former Sith could sense the piercing blue eyed glare. "What are you doing here?" Ahsoka demanded, backing into a defensive position, ready to take on Ventress.

Amused, the Dathomirian placed a hand on her hip, intently focused on the figure of the former Padawan. "I suppose I'm here to rescue you."

"How-?" Ahsoka started, but was cut off abruptly.

"You never did speak on my behalf after you told me you would." Ventress reminded her coolly, a hint of danger in her voice. "I've gained nothing from helping you find that warehouse. You think I'd blindly help you again, and expect nothing in return?"

The horn-head's increasing fear came out in waves. She was practically defenseless if Ventress decided to attack her. This was how the former Sith liked it.

Unfortunately, she remembered the credits the Togruta's former Master had offered her. A whopping 5,000 credits just to easily rescue the poor little Force-user. On normal jobs, Ventress got more than this, but for a little easy job such as this? It was more than enough.

"You're lucky I'm leaving you unscathed. You're worth a lot of credits to me, and I don't want to damage that," the former witch smirked, the idea of credits lightening her mood.

"Credits? Credits from who?" Ahsoka asked, a tone of surprise in her voice.

Before Ventress could respond, the door slid open again, revealing the Togruta's captor. The bounty hunter stopped mid-step, staring at the figure of Ventress. "Who the frak are you?" He growled, eyes narrowing, his hand drifting towards the blaster hanging on his belt.

"Your worst nightmare," The former Sith snarled. Lightning fast, she whirled around, nailing the bounty hunter in the side of the head with her foot.

He smashed against the door frame, letting out a yelp of surprise more than pain. He drew his blaster and pointed it at Ventress.

A second later, the weapon flew out of his grip and into the Dathomirian's outstretched hand.

The corner of her mouth tightened into a cruel little smirk as she pulled the trigger. A red bolt of light erupted from the blaster. The man ducked as the laser bolt soared over his head, where his chest had been moments ago. He rolled away, nearly crashing into Ahsoka.

**Ahsoka's POV**

As the man rolled by Ahsoka, her battle senses kicked in. She leaped on top of the unprepared bounty hunter, wrapping her arms around his neck, and held on tight. "Ah! Get off me!" He yelled, then called Ahsoka quite a few not-so-nice things in Mando'a as he flailed around, trying to shake off the former Jedi.

Before he could do anything else, the blaster in Ventress's hand fired again, and this time, the blaster bolt met it's target, right in the heart of the bounty hunter.

The man's body fell backward, right on top of Ahsoka, who had not been enjoying the involuntary piggy back ride. With effort, she held up the corpse long enough for her to slide out from underneath.

"That was easy," Ventress mused, watching the former Padawan's brief struggle.

"Um… a little help?" Ahsoka asked awkwardly, grabbing at the Force restraining collar.

The former Sith reached out with one hand and made a fist. The Force collar crackled and loosened around the Togruta's neck. Immense stress was lifted off Ahsoka's shoulders as she felt the Force flow again.

She pulled the remains of the collar off of her neck. "Thanks," she smiled, relaxing as the Force fully returned to her.

Ventress walked out of the room. Ahsoka was right behind her, kicking away the horrid outfit the bounty hunter almost made her wear.

She was a little hesitant, following the former Sith. Ahsoka didn't know if she was trustworthy. The teenager couldn't really do anything but rely on Ventress for the time being.

**Lux's POV**

Lux left the freed slave girl in her apartment, and wandered back onto the streets of Coruscant. He knew Ahsoka had left the atmosphere by now, and was far away in the galaxy by now. Defeated, he strolled back towards his speeder, and flew back to the Senate building. There was nothing he could to for Ahsoka. He felt a pang in his heart as he realized he'd likely never see her again.

It was a horrible feeling. The beautiful, humorous, friendly Togruta was erased from his future, never to be in an official relationship with him. She'd soon become a remote, self-despising slave, and it was his fault. If he'd just been a little faster, if he only left sooner and found her before the slavers did. But he'd been stupid. She was gone.

The Senator decided he'd leave Anakin a transmission about the fate of his former Padawan, and return the credits. A tear escaped his eye, as he said a mental fare well to Ahsoka, feeling like a large hole was left in his chest.

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, once again, critique is encouraged!**


	7. Chapter 7: Who am I Fighting For?

**Sorry for taking so much time to write a chapter that isn't even that long... I procrastinate way too much… In response to Maliwan, I'll work on writing longer chapters! I think 1,000-1,500 words a chapter can work for now. Once I'm more advanced, I'll… yeah, enough of me and my notes, on to the story!**

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka and Ventress arrived at the cockpit. The Togruta automatically headed for the co-pilots seat, used to Anakin taking the role of pilot. The former Sith didn't make a note of this and seated herself in the pilot's seat.

Ventress fiddled around with the controls, getting a feel of the ship. Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably in her seat, aware of the difference between the former Sith's style of flying and her old Master's. She winced as she recalled all the missions they'd gone on together, and everything they've suffered and made it through together…

The Togruta crossed her arms, bowed her head, and turned her seat away from Ventress as silent tears leaked from her eyes. She reached up and wipe them away. Luckily there weren't many, as she'd already bawled her eyes out earlier.

She was almost close to regret that she had rejected the Jedi's offer to come back in. But Ahsoka just.. couldn't. She couldn't go back. It was too much stress. She'd always be haunted by memories and feelings of despair when she walked through the Temple halls. It'd been heart-breaking to her that the council would lose trust in her so easily. And Anakin…

Ahsoka had to wipe away even more tears. A small sob shook her body. She had to leave Coruscant and never return, run away from those dark memories and horrible events. She had to forget her trial, Barriss's betrayal, and everything else, walk away from it all. And she hated it. Why couldn't everything just be normal again, no bombing, no betrayal, no fear?

She felt like she was being a brat. Nothing would ever be perfect, yet she still wanted it to be. Here she was, crying like a little kid, over something that couldn't change. _You weak little baby_, she thought angrily, _bawling your eyes out when you could be doing something useful_. _No wonder the Order was so eager to get rid of you. You'd rather cry and complain rather than be productive_.

**Ventress's POV**

Ventress noticed the small sob of the teenage Togruta. A feeling of sympathy, something she'd never felt before, consumed the former Sith. She awkwardly placed a hand on the shaking girl. "It's alright, Ahsoka, you're going to start a new life now. You'll be happy again, before long," she tried to reassured her, realizing yet again how much they had in common. Both kicked out of their not-cheerful-but-normal lives, and having to start again all over, for no good reason.

She hoped, though, that if she found a new community to live with, it would remain safe, and that it wouldn't be destroyed by her former allies because they thought her to be a threat...

Ventress shook her head, wrenching herself out of terrible memories. She switched back to professional mode. "I need to contact Skywalker to let him know you're safe."

Ahsoka just turned her chair away from the projector, obviously not wanting to be in the transmission in her state. Ventress gave her a pitiful look, then turned back to the ship controls, and pressed a couple buttons. She looked up at the projector.

The former Sith patiently waited for an answer. A minute passed, and there was no response. The Jedi wasn't responding. Ahsoka quickly peeked over at the projector questioningly. Ventress gave up and decided to record a message instead. She pressed a couple more buttons.

"This is Asajj. Objective completed. Would like to meet at 0300 on Centaxday, same place." The bounty hunter's message was short but informative. She ended the recording and glanced over at Ahsoka.

**Ahsoka's POV**

Ahsoka looked up uncertainly at Ventress, contemplating her choices. What would Ahsoka do now? She had nothing to fight for except for herself. The Togruta felt so… useless. Just a small, inept thing in the galaxy that no one would care about if injured or even killed.

_No… Don't think like that… _Ahsoka knew that someone would care about her. Her old Master, and…

_No one… Anakin is the only one that truly cares for me. Even Master Kenobi lost faith in me during the trial. _

Was anyone else rooting for her?

Suddenly, something surfaced. A certain handsome Senator came to mind. Carlac. Death Watch. Then Onderon… the rebellion… King Rash… How had she forgotten him?

_Lux!_

_**The actual length of this chapter, minus author notes, was 719 words. Oh well Maliwan, at least I tried… Thanks for reading! Apologies for the hiatus I went on, mostly out of overwhelming busy-ness. **_


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